Aston Villa vs Sunderland preview - Same again for Villa

Posted Wednesday, January 05, 2011 by PA

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has no fresh injury concerns.

Houllier is considering whether to keep faith with the side which earned an impressive 3-3 draw with champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Youngster Ciaran Clark is likely to keep his place at left-back in place of the axed England defender Stephen Warnock after scoring a last-gasp equaliser.

Midfielder Fabian Delph and right-back Luke Young are still sidelined with knee problems.

Assistant manager Gary McAllister stressed the need for Houllier to be given time to stamp his mark on Villa.

He said: "The manager has got to be given time. Everyone needs a bit of time.

"He needs to bring his own people in but, I've got to say, there is not a great deal that needs to be added to this club.

"It is a few little tickles here and there. There are a lot of quality players here.

"We just feel in certain positions we might need a bit more experience and in other positions we might need a bit more quality.

"But it doesn't need a great deal. It just needs a little bit of tinkering."

Record signing Asamoah Gyan is a doubt for Sunderland.

The Ghana international shrugged off a hamstring problem to score as a substitute in Saturday's 3-0 win over Blackburn, but is suffering from the after-effects of his exertions and a toe injury.

Winger Ahmed Elmohamady is also being monitored after receiving a bang to the head in the Blackburn game, while skipper Lee Cattermole (back) is being rested for a month on medical advice.

Nedum Onuoha (hamstring) and John Mensah (ankle) are likely to miss out once again, while Michael Turner and Fraizer Campbell (both knee) are still on the casualty list.

The Black Cats bounced back from a 2-0 home defeat to Blackpool with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Blackburn on Saturday, 24 hours before Villa signalled what they hope will be the start of a fightback with a creditable 3-3 draw at Chelsea.

Bruce said: "To be fair to [Villa boss] Gerard Houllier, he has had a few injuries to his big players. When I saw them the other day, they had that familiar look about them.

"They were big, strong, powerful, they had pace in good areas. If you finish sixth in the Premier League for the last three years you are a good team, and he had most of them playing the other day."